Your privacy is very important to us. We want to make
your experience on the Internet as enjoyable and rewarding as possible,
and we want you to use the Internet’s vast array of information,
tools, and opportunities with complete confidence. This Privacy Policy
is meant to convey our commitment to protect the privacy of our customers.
This Privacy Policy describes how SurfBoost collects information from
all end users of SurfBoost’s Internet services (the “Services”)—those
who access some of our Services but do not have accounts (“Visitors”)
as well as those who pay a monthly service fee to subscribe to the
Service (“Members”)—what we do with the information
we collect, and the choices Visitors and Members have concerning the
collection and use of such information.
Personal Information SurfBoost Collects and How It Is Used
Introduction
SurfBoost collects information in different ways from Visitors and
Members who access the various parts of our Services and the network
of Web sites accessible through our Service. We use this information
primarily to provide a customized experience as you use our Services
and, generally, do not share this information with third parties.
However, we may disclose personal information collected if we have
received your permission beforehand or in very special circumstances,
such as when we believe that such disclosure is required by law or
other special cases described below.
Registration
Members are asked to provide certain personal information when they
sign up for our Services including name, address, telephone number,
billing information (such as a credit card number), and the type of
personal computer being used to access the Services. The personal
information collected from Members during the registration process
is used to manage each Member’s account (such as for billing
purposes). This information is not shared with third parties, unless
specifically stated otherwise or in special circumstances. However,
in instances where SurfBoost and a partner jointly promote the Services,
SurfBoost may provide the partner certain personal information, such
as the name, address, and username of persons who subscribed to the
Services as a result of the joint promotion for the sole purpose of
allowing us and the partner to assess the results of the promotion.
In this instance, personal information may not be used by the partner
for any other purpose. SurfBoost may also generate nonidentifying and
aggregate profiles from personal information Members provide during
registration (such as the total number, but not the names, of Members).
As explained in more detail below, we may use this aggregated and
nonidentifying information to sell advertisements that appear on the
Services.
Online Shopping
At some Web sites, you can purchase products and services or register
to receive materials, such as a catalog or new product and service
updates. In many cases, you may be asked to provide contact information,
such as your name, address, email address, phone number, and credit/debit
card information. If you complete an order for someone else, such
as an online gift order sent directly to a recipient, you may be asked
to provide information about the recipient, such as the recipient’s
name, address, and phone number. SurfBoost has no control over the
third parties’ use of any personal information you provide when
placing such an order. Please exercise care when doing so.
If you order products directly from SurfBoost, such as through the
“SurfBoost Store,” we will use the personal information
you provide only to process that order. We do not share this information
with outside parties except to the extent necessary to complete that
order.
Online Advertisements
SurfBoost displays our online advertisements. We share aggregated and
nonidentifying information about our Visitors and Members collected
through the registration process as well as through online surveys
and promotions with these advertisers. Additionally, in some instances,
we use this aggregated and nonidentifying information to deliver tailored
advertisements. For instance, an advertiser tells us the audience
they want to reach (for example, males between 25 and 55 years of
age) and provides us an advertisement tailored to the audience. Based
upon the aggregated and nonidentifying information we have collected,
we may then display the advertisement to the intended audience. SurfBoost
does not share personal information about its Visitors or Members
with these advertisers.
We use DoubleClick and other third-party advertising companies to
serve ads when you visit our Web site. These companies may use information
(not including your name, address, email address or telephone number)
about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide
advertisements on this site and other sites about goods and services
that may be of interest to you. If you would like more information
about this practice and to know your choices about not having this
information used by these companies, please click here: http://www.networkadvertising.org/optout_nonppii.asp
Responses to Email Inquiries
When Visitors or Members send email inquiries to SurfBoost, the return
email address is used to answer the email inquiry we receive. SurfBoost
does not use the return email address for any other purpose and does
not share the return email address with any third party.
Voluntary Customer Surveys
We may periodically conduct both business and individual customer
surveys. We encourage our customers to participate in these surveys
because they provide us with important information that helps us to
improve the types of services we offer and how we provide them to
you. Your personal information and responses will remain strictly
confidential, even if the survey is conducted by a third party. Participation
in our customer surveys is voluntary.
We take the information we receive from individuals responding to
our Customer Surveys and combine (or aggregate) it with the responses
of other SurfBoost customers to create broader, generic responses to
the survey questions (such as gender, age, residence, hobbies, education,
employment, industry sector, or other demographic information). We
then use the aggregated information to improve the quality of our
services to you, and to develop new services and products. This aggregated,
non-personally identifying information may be shared with third parties.
Special Cases
It is SurfBoost’s policy not to use or share the personal information
about Visitors of Members in ways unrelated to the ones described
above without also providing you an opportunity to opt out or otherwise
prohibit such unrelated uses. However, SurfBoost may disclose personal
information about Visitors or Members, or information regarding your
use of the Services or Web sites accessible through our Services,
for any reason if, in our sole discretion, we believe that it is reasonable
to do so, including: to satisfy laws, such as the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act, regulations, or governmental or legal requests for such
information; to disclose information that is necessary to identify,
contact, or bring legal action against someone who may be violating
our Acceptable Use Policy or other user policies; to operate the Services
properly; or to protect SurfBoost and our Members.
"Cookies" and How SurfBoost Uses Them
A “cookie” is a small data file that can be placed on
your hard drive when you visit certain Web sites. SurfBoost may use
cookies to collect, store, and sometimes track information for statistical
purposes to improve the products and services we provide and to manage
our telecommunications networks. These cookies do not enable third
parties to access any of your customer information. Additionally,
be aware that if you visit non-SurfBoost web sites where you are prompted
to log in or that are customizable, you may be required to accept
cookies.
Advertisers and partners may also use their own cookies. We do not
control use of these cookies and expressly disclaim responsibility
for information collected through them.
SurfBoost's Commitment to Children's Privacy
Protecting children’s privacy is especially important to us.
It is our policy to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy
Protection Act of 1998 and all other applicable laws.
We have Web pages designed especially for our younger users. While
we make every effort to ensure that these Web sites are fun and age-appropriate
for our younger audience, we believe that there is no substitute for
proper parental supervision. For further information about tips, tools,
age-appropriate or kid-friendly Web sites and how to report online
trouble, please visit http://www.getnetwise.org/.
Finally, SurfBoost recommends that children ask a parent for permission
before sending personal information to SurfBoost, or to anyone else
online.
SurfBoost's Commitment to Data Security
Services and Web sites we sponsor have security measures in place
to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under
our control. While we make every effort to ensure the integrity and
security of our network and systems, we cannot guarantee that our
security measures will prevent third-party “hackers” from
illegally obtaining this information.
Where to Direct Questions About SurfBoost's Privacy Policy
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or the practices
described herein, you may contact:
Customer Service
SurfBoost
P. O. Box 1126
Martinsville, VA 24114
support @SurfBoost.net
Revisions to This Policy
SurfBoost reserves the right to revise, amend, or modify this policy,
our Internet Service Agreement and our other policies and agreements
at any time and in any manner. Notice of any revision, amendment,
or modification will be posted in accordance with the Internet Service
Agreement and/or Acceptable Use Policy.